The Light Amid the Dark
by ChildoftheFence33
Summary: Arka'ai Lanlyn is given an opportunity of a lifetime. He's offered to become a Jedi so He can learn discipline and gain the tools he can use to find his mother. I hope you guys enjoy it.


**This is my first story. i hope you enjoy it. leave some feedback :)**

The Light Amid the Dark

The heat of handcuffs slapped against his wrist like a torch. The authorities find that it's easier to control the delinquent if he loses his hands in the process. They pick him up off of the ground, seemingly in slow motion, and then place him in the back of the transfer cage. Before they take their leave to drop him off a group of footsteps assault the pavement, coming closer and closer towards the barred window of the truck.

"Let us see…Arka'ai Lanlyn. That's an interesting, a Lorrdian into petty crime or in this case major crime. Why were you stealing weapons from a lowly arms dealer?" His voice cut through the air hard and crisp like a knife through fog. His red eyes perforated nonstop into Ark's dark brown eyes as a freight train travels through a long tunnel. Even with his hard-cut Nautolan eyes Arka'ai kept his lips closed. That man deserved no validating response for his questions and he wasn't receiving any from him, "So, I guess you're not going to speak. You may think you're 'tough as nails' but I promise you that this experience will change all of that demeanor."

He walks away, hitting the side of the vehicle, letting the driver know that he was okay to head towards the cells. Ark lied back on the bench and stared up at the ceiling thinking about the choice he made. Would my mom be proud of me? He thought to himself. No, she wouldn't be proud of me. Look at all the things that I have done, all of the hurt that I have caused my family even if they aren't here. Where are you mom?

Ark came to a realization. He had to find his mother. He had to find his mother and bring pain to those who took her away. The memory of what happened flooded his brain and he slumped into a small sadness.

Two years ago, it was a busy day at Kir Kir's restaurant and the large, rambunctious parties were flocking in its small walls. Ark, his mom, and Kir Kir were running around and cooking as fast as they could, trying to fulfill what people were ordering. A group of Raiders came in and ordered a few bowls of bantha steak soup. Kir Kir was busy with entertaining them (as they consumed what seemed like gallons of alcohol) so Arka'ai cooked the soup himself to help Kir Kir out. The Raiders yelled in excitement then downed the food without even tasting it almost.

Just as the group went back to caring for other customers the Raiders yelled out obscenities at the employees about how awful the soup tasted. Kir Kir tried to calm him down but to no avail as the leader of the group shot him down. They took Arka'ai's mother and left to never come back.

He had to find her. He had to figure out where she was taken! Nothing will stop him from finding her! Ark stared at the door and began meditating on it. His mother had bought a book (Illegally) that apparently was filled with notes from a jedi and gave it to Ark to study and learn discipline from. Look how well that turned out, He chastised. He closed his eyes then pictured the door in front of him opening. Reaching his hand out the door slowly cracked open to reveal they were almost at the cells. He removed the cuffs from his hands by putting them against the laser bars on the door before running off into the streets. Ark went and hid behind a dumpster between a small restaurant and a liquor store. Hopefully, they wouldn't notice he was gone until they arrive at the prison.

Ark checked his pockets to see he had enough credits to buy a small ship capable of hyperdrive. He started off towards his friend Jinto who sold ships to those who were less privileged than others. He was a good man in addition to him being mute since a slave trader cut out his tongue. Luckily, Jinto was good at fighting and beat his assailant (quite literally) to death.

He took out his communicator and called Jinto while he walked through back streets towards his shop.

"Jinto. I'm in need of a ship. I'll be there in about five minutes," He closed the device, picked up the pace, and headed through the crowded streets of Coruscant. The Lorrdian boy turned through the winding streets quickly to try and make it to Jinto's without being recovered by the authorities. He had to find his mother. That was his mission. Nothing was going to stop him.

Suddenly, he couldn't move anymore. How Ironic. His limbs felt like rusted metal that had frozen in place. Silently panicking was all he could do and that wasn't much to better his situation. The sound of footsteps greeted his ears. A brown cloak appeared from the shadows with a silver object attached to his side.

"You know you are all over police holograms?" The stranger asked, "They said you were dangerous enough to warrant the help of a Jedi but I honestly don't see what they mean. You're a Lorrdian boy who stole weapons from an arms dealer who, also, obtained his weapons illegally. How exactly did you escape that truck boy?"

Arka'ai stared at the Jedi and tried to answer with a snarky remark but whatever was holding him wouldn't let his lips move. The only sound that escaped was a small groan.

"Oh, yes. I apologize," With a wave of his hand Ark fell to the dirt, "Now tell me. How?"

Ark weighed his options: on one hand, he could try and throw dirt in the Jedi's eyes and try to escape but on the other hand, the man is a Jedi and could easily kill or render him unconscious in a second.

"I used…" He paused

"Well?" The stranger sat there impatient

"…Force," Ark mumbled. The stranger looked at him skeptically with an eyebrow raised up. There was no way this boy, this Lorrdian boy, could have used such a thing to open the door of the truck and escape. Where did he learn to us The Force? How long has he been using it under the radar? Surely one of the Council would have sensed even a little bit of what he had done.

"Where did you learn to do that?" He inquired. The stranger grabbed another pair of handcuffs and re-cuffed Ark.

"My mom, before she…left, bought a book from an old man. I guess it was a Jedi Masters from a long time ago. It doesn't mention his name in the book though," While he was telling this the authorities arrived and started him towards the truck to try and bring him back to the cells once more but the Jedi stopped him.

"So, you're telling me your mother illegally acquired an old notebook from a dead Jedi Master and you've been studying this for some time now? Where is this book?"

"It's in my room," Why was he telling him all of this?

"Officers let him go. We're going to take a little field trip," He removed Ark's handcuffs and pushed him out in front, "Start walking. If you think you can lead me elsewhere there will be major consequences."

The two started towards Kir Kir's restaurant. Even though he was in trouble it was still cool that a Jedi was escorting him. The locals stopped to stare at the two of them as they were walking. Jedi's were hardly ever seen in this district due to it being so off of the map.

They arrived a little at the restaurant after 20 minutes of complete silence. It was quite intimidating to Ark but what was he going to do? They walk inside of the business and are immediately greeted by Kir Kir.

"Welcome! Take a se-" He pauses and his demeanor immediately changes as his eyes lock onto Arka'ai, "Where the hell have you been? I've been worried sick! Then you show up with a Jedi so now I have to guess you got in trouble again! What did he do this time?"

"That isn't why we're here," Ark looked at him with a little bit of confusion, "We are here because of a book. Apparently his mother bought an old Jedi Master's notebook and your boy here has learned some of its tricks. At least, that's what he told me,"

"I see," Kir Kir sighed and turned back to the kitchen, "Go ahead and show him to your room Ark. I'm sure that this story is true too," The sarcasm leaked from his voice heavily. Ark waved the Master to follow him to his room. Ark ran inside of it and grabbed the book then handed it to the man. He flipped through the pages wide-eyed at what it contained.

"Where exactly did she get this book?"

"I don't know. She showed up with it after she went shopping. She wouldn't tell me where she got it,"

"This wasn't a Jedi Master's notebook. This was originally Darth Bane's. Where the hell did she get this? HOW the hell did she get this?" He kept flipping through it, his eyes getting wider with every page he looked at, "Well, now that I know whom this belonged to, show me what you've learned from this."

Ark looked at the notebook and closed his eyes. He formed the image of the book in his mind then put his hand out. He opened his eyes and the notebook rose up in front of the man's eyes. Then, Ark proceeded to remove a blank page from the back of the book and hit it with a stream of lightning flowing out from his finger. The page caught on fire and evaporated into ash.

"It seems you have learned a few things from this book but this book teaches of the Dark Side. I cannot allow you to continue to own this literature,"

"My mom got me that book! That's all I have left of her! Ever since she was taken from me that's all I have to connect to her with," Ark pulled the notebook from the Jedi's hands and threw it into his room.

"I understand, son. I understand more than you realize but if you are learning from these specific teachings then you are learning evil teachings. I cannot allow you to have this because it goes against everything I have been taught,"

Tears welled up in Ark's eyes and he slumped to the ground, "I guess, I still have my memory of her," wiping his eyes he looked up at the Jedi, "I guess it's time to take me to jail right?"

"Y-" he paused. This broken kid in front of him was already so learned in the force. Maybe, just maybe, through teaching him the path of the Jedi he could ask to find his mother. It's a long shot and she could be dead by then but maybe he could still find her. He just needed the means to do so, "Boy,"

"My name is Arka'ai," He said through the tears.

"Arka'ai. I have an offer for you," He reached his hand out to Ark and lifted him off of the ground, "I want to help you. I see the pain you carry and while that doesn't justify the crimes you have committed, I can see that you aren't a bad person. How would you like to be my apprentice?"


End file.
